Personal computing devices, including smartphones and tablet computers, are becoming ubiquitous tools for business and personal use. As the processing power of personal computing devices continues to increase, the available interactions and use of such personal computing devices increases likewise. For example, the typical personal computing device is capable executing complex applications and facilitating diverse interactions. One such complex interaction is the generation and interaction with alternate reality characters on the personal computing device.
Alternate reality characters, such as alternate realty pets, are often presented to a user of the personal computing device in real time or near-real time. Typically, the user may view the alternate reality character on a display of the personal computing device by pointing a camera of the computing device toward the location at which the user desires the alternate reality character to appear. The alternate reality character is then added to the streaming real-world video generated by the camera. In many implementations, some type of marker is used to anchor the alternate reality character. Virtual objects may be added with which the alternate reality character may interact to some degree. In some implementations, the alternate reality character may also interact with real-world objects and/or directly with the user in real time.